Rally to protest lack of a state budget October 2, 2009

We, at the Mental Health Association along with our partners in Erie City and County are planning another rally on Friday, October 2, 1 pm at the Martin Luther King Center, 312 Chestnut Street to continue to protest the lack of a State budget.
Social services that are dependent on State dollars are crumbling. Some have closed, some are days and weeks from closing and some are actually trying to manage their affairs until dollars start flowing again. Domestic violence, children's safety nets, food pantries and soup kitchens, mental health programs’, to mention a few, are all on the brink. Legislators announced a budget compromise that has meant little or nothing to programs that are experiencing turmoil and hardship every day.
As a group we have decided to spotlight those agencies that are in dire straits on a consistent basis until this situation is rectified and further, we strongly encourage our legislators and Governor Rendell to seriously consider implementing a Prompt Payment Plan as is currently in place in New York State. When this nightmare is resolved and people can once again depend on vital services, certain steps must be put in place so that our most vulnerable citizens are not held hostage. Certainly, this is not too much to ask.
Please join us and bring people with you so that all of our voices are heard.